Unveiling Congenital Syphilis and Syphilis in Alabama

Join us as we shed light on the challenges, solutions, and stories surrounding these pressing public health concerns. Hear from Dr. Jodie Dionne, an Associate Professor of Medicine and a clinician investigator at UAB in Infectious Diseases. Her research is focused on designing clinical trials to treat and prevent syphilis, hepatitis B, and other infections in pregnancy in the US and in Africa.

This podcast is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance. Thank you to our co-sponsor for this podcast, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health a community-based training partner of the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

Dr. Jodie Dionne
Associate Professor of Medicine,

UAB Division of Infectious Diseases

Chief of Women’s Health, 1917 Clinic

Update on Childhood Vaccines: Getting Ready for the School Year (July 13, 2023, 12pm CST/ 1PM EST)

Vaccines are among the most significant medical advances in the history of the world. Hundreds of millions of lives have been saved or kept whole through vaccination programs. In our global world, though, all vaccine-preventable diseases except smallpox are a mere 18 hours away by plane. Diseases that were common only 30 years ago now are exceedingly rare, but without continued vigilance in the use of the vaccines that led to this success, we risk the reemergence of these pathogens. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the risks of new viruses spilling over to the human population, and as bad as that was, it would have been that much worse if safe and effective vaccines had not been developed in record time. That said, the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine program also illustrated the importance of all of us understanding why we need to be vaccinated – they only work if they are used.

Dr. David Kimberlin
Dr. David Kimberlin

Dr. David Kimberlin is the Sergio Stagno, M.D., Endowed Chair in Infectious Diseases, Professor and Co-Division Director in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UAB, Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research with UAB Pediatrics, and Editor of the AAP Red Book Report of Committee on Infectious Disease. His special interests include antiviral therapies, viral diseases, clinical research and trials design.

This webinar is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance and cosponsored by the Region IV Public Health Training Center and Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety.

*CEU Pending

Tick-Borne Diseases in Alabama

As Alabama heats up into summer the number of individuals outside and the number of bugs outside are increasing, including ticks, insects that can pose a direct to human health. Join the ARC IPC and Dr. Jonathan Rayner for a discussion around tick-borne diseases in Alabama and how you can prevent being affected by ticks this summer.

This podcast is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance. Thank you to our co-sponsor for this podcast, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health a community-based training partner of the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

Dr. Jonathan Rayner
Director, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases
Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
University of South Alabama College of Medicine 

Resources on Tick-Borne Diseases:

Tickborne Diseases of the United States – CDC

Overview of Tickborne Diseases – CDC

Tickborne Diseases – ADPH

Using Behavioral Theory to Understand the Red/Blue Divide in COVID-19 Vaccination Intentions (January 23, 2023 1pm CST)

This webinar is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance. Political partisanship is an important predictor of COVID-19 vaccination status. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Republicans were less likely to report being vaccinated than Democrats. This webinar will discuss the results from research testing the hypothesis that partisan differences in intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine can be explained by a commonly used theory of behavioral health intentions, Protection Motivation Theory. This webinar is co-sponsored by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control and the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

Greg Pavela, PhD
Associate Professor @UAB School of Public Health
Tamika Smith, PhD
Assistant Professor @UAB School of Public Health
Victoria McDonald, MPH
Third-year doctoral student in Health Behavior @UAB School of Public Health


A Tridemic of Flu, COVID, and RSV this Winter Season (Winter 2022)

With three different respiratory illnesses circulating across communities in the U.S., are things out of the frying pan and into the fire? While COVID is still a concern and we should anticipate COVID to continue to circulate this winter, other respiratory viruses are making headlines. Hospitals throughout the country are dealing with an unprecedented, early spike in both flu and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. The collision of these three viruses have raised concerns about a potential “tridemic” this winter. Dr. Molly Fleece, assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, joined the podcast to discuss concerns about the upcoming cold, flu, RSV and COVID season..

This podcast is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance. Thank you to our co-sponsor for this podcast, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health a community-based training partner of the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

The ABC’s of Viral Hepatitis: Update for Public Health Professionals (October 18 @ 12pm CT)

Presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance (ARC IPC), this virtual webinar will provide a snapshot of viral hepatitis epidemiology and an overview of the 2021-2025 US National Strategic Plan/Roadmap for Elimination which is highly relevant to the public health community. We will include a discussion about current surveillance data that reveals trends, challenges and opportunities, prevention through vaccination and approaches to treatment. This webinar is co-sponsored by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance (ARC IPC), Region IV Public Health Training Center, and the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety.

  1. Describe key approaches to stopping the spread of viral hepatitis, eliminate it as a public health threat, and save lives
  2. Discuss key strategies to increase vaccination and improve care and treatment of viral hepatitis
  3. Describe the social determinants of health that contribute to the viral hepatitis epidemic and unequal burden of viral hepatitis in the United States 

Speaker: Barbara DeBaun, MSN, RN, CIC, Improvement Advisor at Cynosure Health

This webinar is co-sponsored by Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance, Region IV Public Health Training Center, and Deep South Center for OH&S .

Strategies for Combatting Health Misinformation (October 13, 2022 12pm CST)

Misinformation has been a risk factor throughout the pandemic, leading to more disease and death from COVID-19. Dr. Katrine Wallace (UIC School of Public Health) is an epidemiologist and social media science communicator who debunks misinformation and false claims about COVID-19 and the vaccines. In this webinar, Dr. Wallace will explain the difference between misinformation vs disinformation, discuss why disinformation is such a widespread public health issue, and identify strategies to combat health misinformation among your own friends/family/workplace. This webinar was co-sponsored by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control and the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

Dr. Katrine Wallace,
Epidemiologist and Adjunct Assistant Professor
Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics & Division of Community Health Sciences
School of Public Health
University of Illinois at Chicago

Back to School Q&A with an Infectious Disease Pediatrician

It’s August and it’s not just kids back in class. School is now in session for germs, viruses and bacteria that cause illnesses that can make your child (or yourself as a parent, caregiver, or guardians) sick. Back-to-school is widely recognized in the medical community as a time when many children pick up infections from their classmates. As a parent or caregiver, what do you need to watch for? Dr. David Kimberlin, Professor and Co-Director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, joins the podcast to discuss some common illnesses found in schools, the best way to treat them, and the importance of good hygiene practices to reduce the chances of catching these illnesses.

This podcast is presented by the Alabama Reginal Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance. Thank you to our co-sponsor for this podcast, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health a community-based training partner of the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

The Mystery and Epidemiology of Long COVID (September, 29 @ 12pm CT)

Dr. Stella Aslibekyan, Senior Scientist, Genetic Epidemiology, 23andMe and Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Kentucky

This webinar is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance. Two and a half years into the COVID-19 pandemic, there is emerging evidence that in some patients, its symptoms may linger for months or even years after the initial infection. While prevalence estimates vary widely, such ‘long COVID’ symptoms likely persist in more than 10% of all COVID-19 cases. This webinar, Dr. Stella Aslibekyan, Senior Scientist, Genetic Epidemiology, 23andMe and Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Kentucky, will summarize the current scientific debate about long COVID– is it an autoimmune disease, a consequence of comorbidities, or something else? We will draw on a recent study of 100,000+ COVID-19 cases to understand who is susceptible to long COVID, how long the symptoms can last, and whether vaccination can improve long COVID outcomes.

This webinar is co-sponsored by Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance, Region IV Public Health Training Center, and Deep South Center for OH&S .

The Deep South Center for OH&S is an approved provider of continuing education units for nurses by the AL Board of Nursing (Provider ABNP0420 Expiration Date 12/22/2025) and has awarded this program 1.0 CEUs.

What You Should Know About the 2022 Monkeypox Outbreak

From early May 2022 to June 13, 2022 (the date of this podcast recording), over 1,300 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported across 31 countries that normally don’t see any cases of monkeypox. Occasionally, outbreaks have occurred outside Africa. But, in most instances, these cases were associated with international travel or contact with individuals or animals from endemic regions. Currently, the CDC and World Health Organization are tracking multiple reported cases and monitoring several person in counties without endemic monkeypox and with no known travel links to an endemic area. 

In today’s podcast, we welcome back Dr. Rachael Lee, Associate Professor in the UAB Division of Infectious Diseases and UAB Health Epidemiologist to talk to us about monkeypox – what it is and if we should be worried?

Thank you to our co-sponsor for this podcast, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health a community-based training partner of the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

Further Reading:

For Healthcare Providers:

News Articles: